1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates generally to the shipping of articles on pallets, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to an improved method of packaging and transporting preformed flower pot covers.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art.
Decorative covers for flower pots have been used for many years to accentuate or complement the aesthetic appearance of a floral grouping disposed in the flower pot. Such decorative covers are often preformed flower pot covers made by forming a flexible sheet of material into a shape adapted to receive the flower pot.
In the process of forming the sheet of material into the flower pot cover, a plurality of overlapping folds are formed in the material. The overlapping folds cooperate to provide structural strength to keep the preformed shape of the flower pot cover. In addition, flower pot covers are often formed to have a skirt portion which is designed to extend beyond the upper end of the flower pot and functions to cover the soil and the lower portion or stem portion of a floral grouping which can be unattractive and thus draw away from the attractiveness of the combination of the blooms of the floral grouping and the flower pot cover.
To ship flower pot covers after the forming process, a plurality of the preformed flower pot covers are typically stacked or nested relative to one another and the stack is placed in a cardboard box. After several stacks of the preformed flower pot covers have been placed in the box, the box is closed and sealed.
While the use of cardboard boxes have been widely accepted in the packaging and shipping of preformed flower pot covers, they are not without disadvantages. For example, cardboard boxes represent a disposal problem for the receiver of the flower pot covers. In addition, the contents of the box can not be inspected without unsealing and opening the box. As such, one is unable to observe the quality and quantity of the flower pot covers prior to opening the box.
To this end, a method of packaging preformed flower pot covers is needed that permits easy transport of a large quantity of flower pot covers while overcoming the disadvantages mentioned above. It is to such a method that the present invention is directed.